Monday, February 15, 2010

I had so much fun taking part in One Heart One World! This was my first year to discover this fun blog giveaway and get to know each other event hosted by A Whimsical Bohemian. I enjoyed visiting all the blogs (ok, not ALL of them, since there were over 1,000 and I just couldn't get to all of them) and entering for some beautiful and unique artistic prizes--whether I win a thing is irrelevant, because it was a joy just to explore.

On this blog I was giving away the winner's choice of one of 5 different rectangle magnets from my shop. I was amazed at the response--130 entries! That's the most I've ever had for a giveaway on my site. I picked the winner using Random.org...and, da dah da dahh, it was: Cathy Horner!

She's a collage artist. You can see some samples of her work below:

This was the piece she was giving away for herOne World giveaway. Isn't it lovely?

And here is another piecce of hers called "Tourist."It made me smile, and I thought that was perfect for OHOW,with all the new and exiting discoveries you find around everycorner. You can find more of her collages on her blog,Cathy Horner Collage Art. It's really worth a look!

I had another giveaway ending here the same day, for a round "Byron's Lady" poetry magnet and some hand-made soap by my friend at Pampered Escapes. There were 80 comments in all, and the winner was commenter #40: Dovile.

Thanks everyone for participating. If you would like a chance to win some other goodies from my shop, I just started a new giveaway for some fun St. Patrick's Day themed items. Enter here!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

I have a lot of smaller Shamrock items at home and thought I'd giveaway some of those this month (yeah...I know St. Patrick's Day isn't until NEXT month, but I want to give lots of time for people to enter and still end soon enough to get winners their prizes before March 17th). This time I'm doing the giveaway a little differently than I usually do.

Usually, there's one main entry and lots of extra entries--but no matter how many entries you do you only get one prize if you win. This time if you do extra entries you can get EXTRA PRIZES! How cool is that?

Here's how it will work. Each entry will count for 1 prize. Now, lets say that you enter 5 different ways. You can put that all in one comment and if that comment is picked as a winner you get to choose 5 prizes. If you put 3 of those entries in one comment and 2 in another, and the comment with 2 entries is chosen, you get 2 prizes. If you put all of the entries in separate comments and one is chosen as a winner you get 1 prize. You can put a maximum of 5 entries in every comment, and can make as many comments as you want (until you run out of entry methods). You see the idea? And there are TONS of ways to enter so I'm sure you can find a lot to try!

And, this time there will be three winners chosen, not just one! And yes, it's possible for the same person to be choosen as the winner for two or even all three of those if they have multiple comments--so the total amount you could win in this giveaway is 15 prizes! Winners will be contacted on March 4th and the first to respond will get first choice of prizes.

OK...now that you get the idea how the giveaway will work, here's the fun stuff I'm giving away. Some items I only have a limited number of that you can win in this giveaway, so the number of items available is listed under each prize picture.

PRIZE #2 - 1.75" Shamrock ButtonThis is similar to the Shamrock PinsI currently sell at my Zazzle Shop(I no longer sell this size)3 Available

PRIZE #3 - Irish Lass Desktop Background

I will be selling this desktop background through Haiti by Handto earn money to help the people of Haiti.Available in multiple screen resolutions and 3 message styles:Happy St. Patricks Day, IRISH LASS, or no text.For personal use - not for printing or redistribution.See all wallpapers I'm offering here.Unlimited Availability

PRIZE #4 - Shamrock Desktop Background

I will be selling this desktop background through Haiti by Handto earn money to help the people of Haiti.Available in multiple screen resolutions and 2 styles:One with the shamrock centered, and one with it to the side.For personal use - not for printing or redistribution.See all wallpapers I'm offering here.Unlimited Availability

These Shamrock Mini-Cards from my Zazzle Shop are a little largerthan regular business cards, and on the back tell about why the Shamrockis the symbol for St. Patrick's Day. On screen it's hard to see the textso below is an enlarged picture of the back of the cards:

6 Sets Available

TO ENTER:You may enter by any of the methods listed below. Make sure to include an e-mail so I can contact you if you win. You can enter by as many of the methods as you wish, and include your entries in one comment or several, but there is a maximum of 5 entries per comment. You win EXTRA prizes if a comment with more than one "entry" in it wins--so a comment with 5 entries in it could win 5 prizes. If you break those up by entering in 5 different comments, you have more chances to win but will win only 1 prize if one of your comments is the winner. You can make as many comments as you like, until you run out of entry methods.

Visit my click to donate site list and pick a site to make a free donation through. All you have to do is click, and they will make a donation in your honor (payed for by advertisers on the site). Come back and share which sites you clicked to donate through. (One Entry Available for Each Site Listed)

Play Free Rice to earn grains of rice for the hungry. Come back and share one of the words you were quizzed on (One Entry).

Join the Coupons 4 Haiti List where you can earn money for Haiti relief while sharing and receiving coupons. Come back and comment letting me know you did. (One Entry)

Participate in Ads 4 Charity by offering advertising on your website or blog and sharing some or all of the profits with a charity. Make sure to leave your info at Ads 4 Charity so others can find you, and to leave a comment here for your extra entry. (One Entry)

Visit one of the shops listed on Shop 4 Charity and mention something you saw at the shop. (Visit up to 5 shops for 5 different entries).

Blog about Coupons 4 Haiti, Ads 4 Charity, Shop 4 Charity , any of the shops listed at Shop 4 Charity (unless it's your own shop), Clicks 4 Charity , or any of the sites listed on Clicks 4 Charity. Comment here with the URL where you posted. (Up to 6 Entries - yes, you may blog about all of these in a single post and it still counts for 6 entries. Must include links to this site).

Post a link to Coupons 4 Haiti, Ads 4 Charity, Shop 4 Charity, Clicks 4 Charity, or any of the sites listed on Clicks 4 Charity on your website or blog sidebar. Comment here with a link to where you posted. NOTE: There is buttons for Ads 4 Charity and Shop 4 Charity at the bottom of the site. I'm working on getting ones for the other sites...but a text link is also fine. (Up to 5 Entries)

Blog about this giveaway. Get an extra entry if you include a picture of any of the items I'm giving away. (2 Entries Possible) And, if you would like to offer a free desktop background on your own blog (and get a free one yourself) contact me at ecarian@yahoo.com

Follow this blog (1 Entry).

Grab the Scribbleprints button (1 Entry).

Twitter, delicious, stumble, or share on facebook about this giveaway (up to 4 entries)

Visit one of my shops (listed at the top of my sidebar) and tell me which design, other than the Shamrock design, you like best. (1 Entry)

Tell me what you think of doing giveaways this way. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Would you like me to do something like this again? (1 Entry)

This giveaway ends March 3rd. Winners will be chosen by random number generator at Random.org. Open to entrants worldwide. Winner must claim prize within 5 days after being contacted. Winners will be e-mailed March 4th. The first winner to respond will get first pick of the prizes. Winners who respond after that will get their pick of prizes still available.

Entering does not sign you up for any mailing lists (unless you enter by joining Coupons 4 Haiti...which requires that I be able to mail you from time to time). However, since this is a public blog your entries can be viewed by anyone (to avoid spam-bots I suggest writing your e-mail like this: email at yourmail dot com).

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

My red red heart mug got the Today's Best Award at Zazzle! Yeah! Of course, it wasn't today...no, I never find out about TBAs when I get them for some reason. It got Today's Best 6 days ago, and I just noticed all the comments now (thanks everyone who commented...I might never realize about these things if you didn't!).

Hello! I'm joining in on the carpet ride for One World One Heart. OWOH is a giveaway event to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It's a fun chance to visit some fun blogs, see some unique artwork, meet some wonderful people, and maybe win something in the process.

So, let me introduce myself. My name is Gale, and I'm a stay-at-home mom and artist. I like to create what I call "scribbleprints"--artistic designs that start out as scribbles but turn into something else on the way. It's a fun form of art because even when I'm aiming for something specific, to get the scribbly look I have to draw the original outline scribble with a quick loose hand, so the final outcome is somewhat out of my control. Then, with a much, much slower hand I fill in the designs, then scan them onto the computer where I use a graphics program to add color, crop, change shapes, add other elements, etc.

Of course, not all my designs are "scribbleprints." I like to play around with funny and witty designs, mostly designed on the computer. And eventually I will be adding some other artwork. I enjoy doing water colors and black and white sketches and all sorts of other art forms--just haven't added any of that to my shops as yet (with the exception of one butterfly design.

See some examples below:

This work I call Tribal Toes. A lot of people say myscribbleprints look like fingerprints, and I thinkthey work well here on these footprints.

This is another favorite of mine.I re-tweak this often to make designs.

Here's the same design in purple.

This one's not a "scribbleprint."Sometimes I just like to have fun.

GIVEAWAYYou can win one of the above magnets (your choice). Just leave a comment below and make sure to leave an e-mail address or a link to your blog (if you have one) so I can contact you. Giveaway is open through Feb 14th, and the winner will be announced Feb 15th. If I don't hear back from the winner (or they leave no way to contact me) before Feb 20th, they forfeit their prize.

If you don't win, and you still want one, this month you can get one in exchange for a donation to MercyCorps, one of the organizations working in Haiti (I'm not affiliated with them, just support them). E-mail me at ecarian@yahoo.com if you're interested.

FREE COLORING PAGES FOR EVERYONEWould you like a free coloring page with my designs? I have ones in several designs (including a heart like the one you see at the top of the page, minus the text). You can download those here! And, if anyone would like to share what you did with it, you're welcome to put a picture of the colored version up on your blog and then come back and share a link here (just leave a comment on any post), or send me a picture at ecarian@yahoo.com. Thanks!

MORE GIVEAWAYS ON MY BLOGSHere are some other giveaways on my blogs you might be interested in:

Hello! I am joining some other artists at Zazzle is donating designs to the Hearts 4 Haiti shop at Zazzle. All of the share of the profits which would usually go to the artists (about 25% in this case) are being donated to Hope for Haiti. My contributions to the shop are below:

Please visit the Hearts 4 Haiti shop to see all the designs people have donated. And, if you find a design you'ld like to share, rmember you can add designs to your website or blog by clicking the "link" hyperlink (found either below the product information or below the product picture) and copying the code to your page.

This month I am giving away some soap made by a dear friend of mine! I still had two Honey & Shea Glycerine Soaps left from a whole bunch I ordered from her last Christmas, and since she just gave me some more (some beautiful Lavender Soap and some Christmas Soap), I thought I'd give away one of the soaps from her I already had as a way to share about her shop with all of you. This soap is shaped like a honeycomb with a little bee on it (you can't see that from the picture). Oh, and she doesn't know I'm doing this by the way (shhh!).

And, because it's February and Valentines is quickly approaching, I'm also giving away one of my magnets quoting Byron's poem, "She Walks In Beauty Like the Night."

CLXXIII. "She walks in beauty, like the night"

SHE walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies,And all that's best of dark and brightMeets in her aspect and her eyes;Thus mellow'd to that tender light Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,Had half impair'd the nameless graceWhich waves in every raven tressOr softly lightens o'er her face,Where thoughts serenely sweet expressHow pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek and o'er that browSo soft, so calm, yet eloquent,The smiles that win, the tints that glow,But tell of days in goodness spent,—A mind at peace with all below,A heart whose love is innocent.

---

BUY ITThe soap from this giveaway is not currently listed at my friend's shop, but she would probably be willing to make some up for you if you asked!

If you would like one of my magnets, this month you can get them for a $3 donation to MercyCorps, an organization helping with relief work in Haiti (I'm not affiliated with MercyCorps, I am just choosing to support them in this way)--that includes shipping. These aren't the ones I sell in my shop, but ones I bought for a bulk rate a while ago. I also have some rectangular magnets you can have for a $5 donation (plus I'm giving one of those away here) and have other round magnets and buttons that I'd be willing to trade for a donations (sleep deprived parent, tantrum zone, tribal toes). If you're interested just ask me: ecarian@yahoo.com.

ENTER TO WIN ITTo enter to win one bar of Honey and Shea soap and one Byron's Beauty magnet visit my friends shop, Pampered Escapes, and come back and leave a comment about something you liked there. Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you.

EXTRA ENTRIESYou must complete the required entry above first or your extra entries will not count. Make sure to come back and make a comment for each extra entry you complete!

Visit my click to donate site list and pick a site to make a free donation through. All you have to do is click, and they will make a donation in your honor (payed for by advertisers on the site. Come back and share which site you clicked to donate through. You can do this for up to 5 sites for up to 5 different entries (do a separate comment for each please).

Play Free Rice to earn grains of rice for the hungry. Come back and share one of the words you were quizzed on.

Follow my blog

Blog about this giveaway.

Ad my badge button to your sidebar (on your blog or website).

Share about this giveaway through Facebook or Twitter.

This giveaway ends Feb 14th (unless I choose to extend it). Winner will be chosen by random number generator at Random.org. Open to entrants worldwide. Winner has one week after being contacted to claim prize or forfeit it. Entering does not sign you up for any mailing lists, though since this is a public blog your entries can be viewed by anyone (to avoid spam-bots I suggest writing your e-mail like this: email at yourmail dot com .